1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a process for the hydroconversion of a heavy hydrocarbonaceous oil in the presence of a catalyst comprising a particulate iron component and a catalytically active metal component of a metal other than iron. The catalytically active metal component is prepared in situ from small amounts of metals added to the oil as oil-soluble metal compounds.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Hydrorefining processes utilizing dispersed catalysts in admixture with a hydrocarbonaceous oil are well known.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,161,585 discloses a hydrorefining process in which a petroleum oil chargestock containing a colloidally dispersed catalyst selected from the group consisting of a metal of Groups VB and VIB, an oxide of said metal and a sulfide of said metal is reacted with hydrogen at hydrorefining conditions. This patent teaches that the concentration of the dispersed catalyst, calculated as the elemental metal, in the oil chargestock is from about 0.1 weight percent to about 10 weight percent of the initial chargestock.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,331,769 discloses a hydrorefining process in which a metal component (Group VB, Group VIB, iron group metal) colloidally dispersed in a hydrocarbonaceous oil is reacted in contact with a fixed bed of a conventional supported hydrodesulfurization catalyst in the hydrorefining zone. The concentration of the dispersed metal component which is used in the hydrorefining stage in combination with the supported catalyst ranges from 250 to 2,500 weight parts per million (wppm).
U.S. Pat. No. 3,657,111 discloses a process for hydrorefining an asphaltene-containing hydrocarbon charge-stock which comprises dissolving in the chargestock a hydrocarbon-soluble oxovanadate salt and forming a colloidally dispersed catalytic vanadium sulfide in situ within the chargestock by reacting the resulting solution, at hydrorefining, conditions, with hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide.
It is also known to use finely divided Group VIII metal components in a catalytic slurry process for the hydrogenative conversion of heavy oils. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,617,503; 3,297,563 and 3,622,498.
It has now been found that coke formation can be minimized in a catalyzed hydroconversion process for heavy oils when an added particulate iron component is used in combination with a catalytically active metal component prepared in situ in the oil from an oil soluble compound of a metal selected from Group VB, Group VIB, Group VIIB, and a metal of Group VIII other than iron.
The term "hydroconversion" is used herein to designate a process conducted in the presence of hydrogen in which at least a portion of the heavy constituents and coke precursors (as measured by Conradson carbon residue) of the hydrocarbonaceous oil is converted to lower boiling hydrocarbon products while simultaneously reducing the concentration of nitrogeneous compounds, sulfur compounds and metallic contaminants.